A new Start, a new Country, a new Life
by theIvoryQuill
Summary: Mischa doesn't see a problem in going to Bloors academy, but her protective mother thinks otherwise.. But she was going on about nothing. Everything's going to be fine.. right?
1. You're not going

Hi, this is my first charlie bone fanfiction. I love the series and look forward to making this fic as interesting as possible, to keep you all on the edge of your seat! (Okay, that sounds corny, but you get my drift.)

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Charlie Bone, or any of the characters, neither do I own any of Jenny Nimmo's books. But I would appreciate it if nobody stole my OC or storyline. Thankyou!

P R O L O G U E

Dr Bloor is a very busy man. Running a school, raising a son, chasing up young endowed future students _and_ paying all the teachers is no picnic. (Not that the paying part was difficult, it was just such tedious work.) However, this December, he was especially busy. You see, he has heard of a girl from Wales who has a "special talent". This could only be good publicity for Bloor's Academy if he could persuade her family to send her over.

_Yet another endowed child,_ he thought to himself, as if about to devour her for main course. He had used his "magical" charm and winning smile to win this girl over, and he was sure that her powers could be dangerous if put in the wrong hands. A perfect plan indeed.

"Darling, you're not going. Do you know what this could lead to? Danger. Honey, I've heard about that place-"

"And what did you hear, Ma? That it's a ghastly place, snakes slither from the ceiling and the principal plots to dominate the world? No? I didn't think so. Since when was it up to you to make my decisions?"

"Mischa, I'm your mother, and I know what's best for you. Besides, I really think your ability is best being kept quiet about."

"Ma, can we not bring my powers into this? Why does it always depend on hiding them away? No, I don't want to be put into jeopardy, but I hardly think that's going to happen. There's kids there.. like me. I'd fit in, for the first time in my life, everything will be perfect. Hey, if I make some friends, I can stay there on the weekends. I'll be fine."

The woman was just about to lecture her about stranger danger when Mischa cut in:

"If worse comes to worse, Bloor's is a school with an extremely high reputation, they'll understand if I want to go back home."

Mischa's mother considered this. Her only worry was that Mischa was too trusting, but too opinionated to say something when she knows she is wrong. She was unaware of the dangers of the world, and she acted like the world was her oyster, when she knows it's far from that. But maybe she was just exaggerating. How bad could this school be? But she'd already lost one child- could she bear to lose another?

Mischa was headed for the door, when her mother stopped her.

"Darling, I just what's best for you. At this stage, I don't know…"

Mischa's face fell. Yet another opportunity about to pass them by.

"….I just don't know how you'll be able to pack if the next flight leaves in 4 hours."

Mischa was so relieved. She couldn't believe what her mother had said. And to think that in about 6 hours she would be in a whole new country, living her life how it was meant to be. And she only had about 3 more hours to pack.


	2. Welcome To London

CHAPTER ONE

Mischa looked at herself in the mirror. She was fourteen years old, 5ft 7 with long, messy, reddish hair. Her eyes were a lifeless, greyish colour, which she had always hated. She'd always wished she could have green eyes, or maybe even blue, but never this dull shade. This was the Mischa that everybody knew. The good girl of Merle Avenue, who all the old ladies approved of. That was everyone's warped image of her, which was completely wrong. She was sick of this perfect, imaginary Mischa that everybody knew of. In London, things would be different. She would give people no chance to make such underestimation.

Mischa had always hated packing. It was such a boring job. But, this time, it seemed like it was the most exciting thing to do in the whole world. Every item of clothing she put into her suitcase brought back a memory, of her family, of her life before her family got the call from Dr Bloor. Like the blue skirt she spilt Coke on on their family photo day, and the fleece jumper that had a hole from when it got caught in her high-school locker. She felt she would miss Wales, but London would be a whole new adventure for her, a place where nobody knew her name, a place where she could start fresh.

By the time she finished packing, it was a quarter to three. Well, there were some advantages to living near an airport. Despite all the noise, it meant she could get there quickly. She lived in northern Wales, so flying would make the trip quite a bit shorter. Besides, she would start Bloors the next day. There were plenty of tears (most from her mother), but they soon said their goodbyes as Mischa boarded the plane. This was it.

As she stepped out of the plane and made her way down the stairs, she looked around. It looked pretty much the same as Wales, but she knew it would take her quite a while to adjust. Though too proud to admit it, Mischa was afraid of change. Yet, here she was, in a new country, a new school, with third cousins that she'd never met in her life. She comforted herself by calling each new change an 'adventure', but she was no longer fooled.

She wanted to start at Bloor's though, with people like her. She heard there were three categories, drama, art and music. She figured she would be in music or drama, since she used to play violin, and scored a lead role in a major school musical, and she dreamt of becoming a famous actress.

She arrived at the doorstep of her aunt and uncle's on 16 Filbert St, and nervously pressed the doorbell. It opened to reveal a beaming woman in her mid-forties, with brown hair.

"Oh, darling! Is that really you? My, my, how time flies!"

Mischa smiled nervously, and wore a confused expression on her face. The woman noticed it, and smiled empathetically.

"I'm your aunt Linda, and you must be Mischa, if I'm not mistaken. The last time I saw you was when you were a tiny baby. You probably wouldn't remember," she said with a smile, "Well, I won't have you standing there much longer, please come in, while I get your luggage. Here are the kids, this is Jane, and Nathan." A boy and a girl entered the room. The girl had long, black hair, and the boy had hazel eyes, and looked about Mischa's age. They both smiled, and she introduced herself.

"Hello, I'm Mischa Greyton. I'll start at Bloor's academy tomorrow." Mischa held out my hand, only to put it back again. An immediate sense of distaste entered the girl's expression, and the boy looked troubled. She excused herself, and found her way up to the guest's room, where she unpacked some things she wouldn't need at Bloor's, which wasn't much.

Mischa couldn't help thinking about how concerned her mother was. She had thought nothing of it, but as she saw the troubled look on her cousin's face, she began to wonder if Bloor's was really the perfect school. Something just didn't seem to click with this new family. She decided to write a letter to her friend to pass the night, since she couldn't sleep:

To Leah,

Well, I'm here in London, starting at a school tomorrow called Bloor's Academy. It seems good, and the cousins I'm staying with are really creepy OK, but something's just not right, Oh well, you know me, always making first impressions.

I wish you were here, so we could laugh at the daggy cape we have to wear, and perform all sorts of antics at this new school.

I'm missing Wales already, even though it's only about a 2 hour flight away, but I'll visit on weekends, yeah?

Love,

Misch 3

Mischa could hardly sleep with excitement, tomorrow was her big day.

The next day was strange, a sort-of half day, for newcomers to get used to the place. She was a few of the only people, and hardly did much but unpack in her dormitory. She met a few of the teachers, and the cook, who was especially nice.

There was also a boy there who was about 8 years old called Billy. He was an albino, and he was endowed also, he could converse with animals.

That night, Mischa got an SMS on her mobile:

Darling!

Spoke to Aunty Linda, glad you settled in well.

Hope to hear your voice soon,

Mum xx oo


	3. King's Room Antics

Aand I'm back!

Mischa: About time, too. We're going to lose reviewers if you take this long to update!

Me: Since when did you become my guidance counsellor?

Mischa: Hey, watch what you say, I'M the one with the endowment!

Me: Fine, fine..

Artemis: And ON with the show!

Mischa: Who invited you? Who ARE you?

A big thanks to all my reviewers so far:

Love's a four-letter word: Yay! Thankyou for being my first reviewer!

Nickyfox13: Thankyou for your constructive criticism! It means lots to me.

Vanilla Bean CEO and the 'sane' Blueberry- ah, you whacked friends of mine.. what can I say?

24kt White Gold: YAY! cookies for me!

Kimmeth: Thanks for reviewing!

MONKIY: Thankyou, just keep those boxes ticked! (hehe)

King's room antics

"Erm, hello in there? Time to wake up."

Mischa made a huge effort to open her eyes, to see a girl about her age, with dark green hair, with rectangular glasses on her nose. She sat upright, and glanced at her watch. It read 7.15.

"Well," said the girl, "I promised I'd give this script to the teacher, so I guess I'll see you around."

Mischa glanced at her timetable. She had 20 minutes until breakfast, so she got changed, and decided to go mingling. First, she met a girl with pink hair named Olivia, who introduced Mischa to another girl, named Emma Tolly. She also was briefly introduced to 2 boys named Charlie and Fidelio, who was a violinist. (Mischa didn't bother telling him how terrible she used to play the violin.)

Mischa couldn't help but wonder about the relatives she was staying with. It may have been her psycho first impressions striking again, but something was definitely wrong.

The bell rang, and Mischa was left wandering about all the rush to get to class. A voice came from behind. She turned to see a tall, blonde woman with a violin case in one hand.

"Ah, a new drama student! You must be the one from Wales we're expecting. The drama building is the one with the two masks."

Yes, thought Mischa, how could she have missed it? She turned to thank the woman, but she was gone.

Mischa headed toward the drama building, where she say the girl that she briefly mat in the dorm. She was wearing a green and black summer dress, and her cape was a crumpled mess perched on her back. She smiled, and waved at the girl, but she was too pre-occupied with the costume she was sewing to notice. Mischa decided to go over and say hi.

"Er, hi."

"Oh, hey new girl! Do you remember me?"

"Yeah, my name's Mischa, I'm 14."

"Cool, same here. I'm Artemis. You must be endowed, lucky duck, there's no way they'd take you this old if you were ordinary like me. Look, do you think this costume would be okay for Puss in Boots?"

The two continued to chat, then as they realised the time, they made a run for class.

After many minutes wandering about after classes, Mischa stopped and asked directions to the kings room from a boy with black dreadlocks. It turned out he was going to the same place, so she decided to make him her temporary tour-guide.

When Mischa entered, she saw a large table with a dead pot plant in the middle, with the other endowed children sitting around it, their heads buried in homework. She took a seat beside Olivia, and gazed at the faces around her, since she didn't have much homework. Suddenly, Olivia stood up.

"Hello everybody, we have a new girl here, all the way from Wales! I think she should introduce herself."

Mischa blushed, and stood up, as Manfred rolled his eyes.

"Hi, I'm Mischa Greyton. I'm from Wales. It's a great privilege to attend-"

"Get on with it, tell us the goods."

"Sorry, what?"

"YOUR BLOODY ENDOWMENT!" Joshua Tilpin practically yelled.

"Oh, I control plants. Not too well though, might I add. I wouldn't-"

"Go on, show us what you can do!" said Emma.

Mischa sighed, and gave in. She closed her eyes and opened her hands, for effect. The dead plant in the middle of the table levitated, and began to blossom beautiful flowers that nobody had seen before. Then, before anyone could say anything, the pot burst into many pieces, the largest of them hitting Joshua on the nose.

"Ow! You need to control those powers, woman!"

"I told you I wasn't perfect at it, if only I could just.."

"Give it a rest, Tilly," sighed Olivia, "Misch, that was SO cool!" After getting a long, hard stare from Manfred, she quickly added: "I mean, the flower bit.."

Mischa then received a small picture from Emma, of a flower squirting water into Manfred's eye. She really had to try that, someday.

After that incident, Mischa was very well liked by most for making a fool of Joshua Tilpin. There came a breeze from behind her, and she turned around to see a tall boy, with blond, spiky hair.

"That was the most entertaining thing that's happened in that room since I don't know when! Promise you'll do it again sometime! My name's Tancred, and this is Lysander. I'm sure you've met _Artemis_, his stalker."

Artemis then gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Tankie, I am not! I just.. just.. erm, dropped my pencil case, that's all. Got to go, but Sander, remember- **I know where you live!**"

Artemis then walked off to her dorm, as Lysander shrugged. "Well, that's Artemis for you. The strangest girl I've had the pleasure to meet."

Mischa was no match-maker, but she definitely sensed something going on.

"I've got to run, but I'll see you guys tomorrow!" She waved, and made her way back to her dorm.

Artemis was lying awake, staring at a photo on the wall, (no prizes for guessing who) but Mischa went straight to sleep, dreaming happily of dancing turnips, bursting flowerpots and raging Joshuas.


	4. The Pet's Cafe

CHAPTER 4

Mischa woke up that Saturday morning to the smell of burnt bacon. She guessed her uncle had yet again tried his hand at cooking.. unsuccessfully. She lay in bed for a while, pondering over whether to either volunteer to cook a new batch or try to eat the stuff, but figured she'd better get up first, before lunch was ready at least. The grey housecat, Pearl, leapt up onto the bed. Mischa wondered what was going through her mind. Whether she'd get to eat the breakfast scraps, perhaps. Maybe she was even imagining what type of mouse to catch next. Ah, the simplicity of life to some. Cats have all the luck, thought Mischa.

She looked out the window to see a sudden downpour of rain. Tancred must have had a raging fit again, and he only lived down the street, Mischa laughed to herself. _No Mischa, _she thought to herself, _Not all weather is caused by Tancred, just the indoor cyclones. And showers, and sleet, and perhaps the occasional miniature tornado, how cute was he at lunch yesterday?… _ It then occurred to Mischa that she was daydreaming about a guy she'd only known for a few days. She had to get a grip, but first, she had to get some food.

Mischa trudged downstairs, and then ate the somewhat okay bacon, throwing down some scraps for the cat. What she had smelled must have been the toast. Jane was sitting opposite, pushing the food around on her plate.

"Aren't you going to eat that stuff?" asked Mischa.

"Not hungry. Besides, I'm on a diet."

"Why? You're not fat..." It was true. Jane was healthy, but stick-thin.

"That's what you say... Anyway, how did you wind up at Bloor's? I mean, I'd think that people in the... _lower class _let's say, would just go to the local public high school? No offence or anything."

Mischa didn't know what to say. She never thought of Jane as a snob until now. Jane and Nathan attended an expensive private school, a rival school of Bloor's academy. Now, just because Mischa's family wasn't rolling in cash, her cousin found it amusing that Mischa's parents apparently begged the headmaster to get her there. Or, that was what Jane thought she heard from her parents. Little did she know that it was the other way around. Mischa got up and left, muttering something about cleaning her room.

Mischa decided to ask her new friend Artemis whether she knew any good cafes in the area. But, she wanted to get to know Tancred better, and it seemed mean to leave the rest out, so she decided to send a group text to Tancred, Lysander, Emma, Olivia and Artemis:

_**Anyone hungry?**_

_**If you know a good cafe, **_

_**reply and we can meet**_

_**Mischa**_

Mischa felt giddy about meeting up with Tancred. Would he think she was easy? Would he think of this as a date? Would _she_ forget it wasn't a date? Mischa decided it was safety in numbers. She got a beep from her mobile, showing a reply:

----

_**You're asking me, the queen of food?**_

_**Pet's café is a good one**_

_**I'll let others know. **_

_**Tancred? LYSANDER!!!**_

_**So, is in half an hour okay?**_

_**Artz**_

**-----**

Artz? Mischa guessed that was Artemis, but_ ARTZ?_ Must be another of her creative outbursts... Besides, where was pet's café? Since nobody else was around, she had to ask her beloved cousin Jane, who was chatting on the phone. When Jane saw Mischa, she whispered to her friend (Wait, it's her. You know, the Bloor's girl that's living in our guest room. I'll be right back.)

"What? I'm busy!"

"Erm, where would I find the pet's café?" Jane giggled, and replied:

"Oh, um... Somewhere near frog lane... Take the cat."

"The cat?" Mischa was now completely confused. Nevertheless, Pearl's ears pricked up at the words 'Pet's café' as Mischa scooped her up, and headed for the bus stop. She decided to ring Olivia for some _real_ directions.

Well, it took long enough, with enough strange looks on the bus as she sat next to Tancred with a large grey cat in her bag, (Oh well, those boring business people were teenagers once.) Tancred had a furry friend of his own- a tiny puppy.

"Aww, is that puppy yours? Well, stupid question.."

"Dad's German shepherd just had six pups. They're pathetic. All they do is whine and pee everywhere. It's funny when they slam into the wall when dad gets angry, though."

"Wha..? Oh, the wind.."

"Who else is coming?"

"Oh, Emma, Lysander, Artemis, Olivia.. that's it, I think."

"So basically the whole gang."

"Yeah.. basically." Mischa trailed off. They were running out of things to talk about. This couldn't be good.

"So other than the puppies, what else is new?" asked Mischa.

"Oh, I learnt how to sleet yesterday."

"Wow! I really need to focus on flowers myself.."

"Flowers?"

"Yeah, flowers. My endowment, duh. I can get them to bud, but they just seem to wilt from there.. I guess I just need more practise."

Boy, she could stare into those blue eyes all day.

As they got off the bus, they could see a neon sign reading "Pet's Café". They reached the bouncer at the front of the restaurant, and had no trouble getting in. Mischa stepped in with the grey housecat, followed by Tancred, who put down his "pathetic" pup as soon as he got the chance. Artemis, Emma, Olivia and Lysander were seated at the far end of the building, and beckoned to them with a free hand.

Artemis had a lime green budgie clinging to her left index finger, and Lysander had his own parrot perched on his shoulder. Emma had brought her duck, and Olivia was cradling a small white kitten.

"Hi, Artemis!", said Mischa cheerfully.

"Hey!"

"May I ask what's with 'Artz'?"

"Oh.. the clear button just HAD to be next to the send button, and I pressed the wrong one."

"So now I can call you Artz, for your own pain?"

"Not if you value your life as much as I think you do."

The others had already ordered, as the waiter came to take down Tancred and Mischa's order. Tancred ordered a glass of cerise juice of some kind with multicoloured sausages, as Mischa studied the menu.

"Do you do a latte here? It's not on the menu.."

The waiter raised an eyebrow. "Does the cat..?"

"No, no, for me," she clarified.

"Well, just this once."

"Thankyou! And I'll have the tuna bake."

"I must warn you, they are quite large.."

"That's okay, I'll share with the cat."

"You mean, the cat will share with _you_."

"Umm.. yeah, what you said."

"I'll bring an extra plate then. Would the feline like a beverage?"

"Umm, she'll just have some milk."

"Skimmed or full cream?"

"Umm.. full cream?" Mischa was confused. What cat would know the difference?

The waiter walked away, and Mischa asked Lysander:

"That's strange. What kind of café doesn't serve a latte?"

"Most of the food they serve here has to be okay for animals to have. It's a bit of a pain sometimes, but hey, the food's still good. They make a nice birdseed loaf here.."

When the food arrived, everyone dug in. After a half hour, all the food was gone, and everyone was pleasantly full. Soon, Emma and Olivia had a shift at Ingledew's bookshop, and Artemis and Lysander were needed at home, which left Mischa and Tancred alone. Again. They got on the bus, and sat down with their pets in their laps. Even MORE strange looks.

"I think we've ran out of things to talk about, Miss Greyton," declared Tancred.

"You think?" Mischa replied.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do."

"Have it your way, then."

"Fine."

"Fine."

After ten minutes of silence, neither of them could stay quiet for any longer. As they got off the bus, they burst out in laughter.

"Well, there's always plan B," mused Tancred.

"Which is..?"

He softly kissed her on the cheek. Gently, but warmly.

"That we forget this ever happened," he whispered.

Nope, way too hard.


	5. No time for Shakespeare

_**The Invitation**_

_Mischa D Greyton,_

_We cordially invite you to the Bloor's Academy Fundraising Dance._

_Dr Bloor has generously donated 50 pence to newcomers, to put toward the purchase of suitable attire for this event._

_Dress Code: Formal. (Girls- a dress, at LEAST at knee length, Boys- Suit with tie.)_

_This dance will be held on the 26__th__ June, and will commence at 6:30pm._

_It will cost 5 pounds to enter._

_Signed,_

_Dr H Bloor,_

_Headmaster._

That's what it said. And Dr Bloor had even forgotten to sign. Oh, well.

At lunch, she sat with Artemis to get some information about the dance. To her surprise, she got nothing.

"Why are you asking me? I'm clueless too.. I suppose dear Harold has decided to be like any other high school, in the way of social events.. finally."

"Harold?" Mischa queried with disbelief.

"Yeah. Dr Bloor's first name."

Mischa giggled. Who would have thought? She suspected it to be something old and stuffy, like John Bloor III, but Harold? Even worse.

"Well, the donation sure was pretty generous.." said Mischa, rolling her eyes.

"Yeah, well, that's Dr Bloor for you. I'm surprised he even donated anything."

"Is he really that bad?"

"Yep. But anyway, what kind of principal gives you money? He's probably trying to suck up to you, for some new scheme."

"Scheme?"

"Well, that's Liv's and my theory, anyway."

Mischa and Artemis made their way to History of Drama, closely followed by Olivia Vertigo. Mischa quite liked History of Drama, as they were learning about the ancient Greeks, and their form of theatre. Ancient Greece never failed to fascinate Mischa.

"I still don't get what keeps you awake in that class," said Olivia.

"Yeah, how could you prefer it over practical work?" asked Artemis.

"I never said I _preferred _it, they're different. But the masks the actors wore that were like loudspeakers WERE pretty cool, you must admit."

"Whatever you say, Misch.." Artemis trailed off.

"Come on, these guys invented the flushing toilet! Geniuses!"

"Didn't Thomas Crapper invent the flushing toilet? Or someone like that?" giggled Olivia.

"Greeks invented it first!"

"Okay," stated Artemis, "I'm just glad it exists today. Who cares who invented it?"

"_I_ do!" she shot back.

"Ladies, would any of you like to share your charming conversation with the class?" asked Mr Milton, their teacher, testily.

"Uh..," tried Artemis, blushing.

" I thought so. Now find a seat and summarise the notes on the board about the Globe Theatre. When you're finished, you can start on your homework- a page-long essay about the purpose of the play _Hamlet_."

"At least I _thought _we were doing ancient Greek plays.." whispered Mischa to Olivia.

Ah, the essence of schooling. You can find the time for a heated argument about toilets, but never the time to take down notes about the design of the Globe Theatre. Who cares why the Globe Theatre had 14 sides? Who cares why Hamlet could see dead people?

_Hamlet did._ Silly question.

Now, when she thought about a certain episode of Doctor Who, The Doctor cared too. He cared quite a bit about those 14 sides, actually.

The bell soon rang, and Mischa had written 2 lines. Poor Shakespeare. He must be lonely.

In their dormitory, Artemis and Olivia were doing last-minute homework, while Emma and Mischa were lying on their beds, Emma reading a book about golden eagles, and Mischa was daydreaming.

"How would you describe Prince Hamlet?" queried Artemis.

"Hmm… The word 'loony' seems to fit his description rather well."

"Okay, I'll write that."

Mischa smiled.

"I wonder what would happen if there were no such thing as socks?" mused a curious Mischa.

"What year was the play finished?"

"I asked first!"

"Well, studies show that purple flamingoes will fly from the sky to take us to Mars for the day. Mischa, where do you get these ideas? Who cares about socks?"

"_I_ do!"

"Could you just answer my question? What year?"

"How would the flamingoes become purple in the first place?"

"By the purple shrimp they eat, duh."

"We should stop."

"Yeah.. but I still need to know what year that blasted play was finished. I'll go to great lengths to find it out. But remember, my flamingoes know where you live."

Now, most of the girls in their dorm were staring at them. Mischa blushed, and shrank back to her bed, but Artemis smiled at them, like everything was normal. It was, strange, the two girls seemed similar, but it was the small things that differentiated them.

Mischa was outgoing, but was a little less sure of herself than Artemis. Artemis knew her flaws, and where she stood. Mischa was unsure of hers. Mischa envied Artemis for this reason. But maybe this was just because she was insecure in a new country. Probably.

Mischa drifted to sleep, in the middle of planning out her essay on Hamlet. (She discovered this the next day, as she woke with a start as her notebook was covering her face.)

See? No time for Shakespeare.


	6. First In, Best Dressed

Hello again! I'm sorry I've been pretty slow to update, but my schedule's been pretty slow, and whenever I get to submit the chapter, either the internet is down, or someone's on the computer. Anyway, enough from me, on with the disclaimer!

DISCLAIMER: I own Mischa and her mother in Wales, her aunt, uncle, 2 cousins and Pearl the cat, however I don't own The Children of the Red King or any related indicia (some weird word I saw in a copyright ad) including it's soundtrack.. (Wait, I SOUND LIKE a copyright ad.) Neither do I own Harry Potter or the Mirror of Erised, although I make references to it, neither am I J.K. Rowling or Jenny Nimmo... (If J.K. sees this: Great 7th book! If Nimmo sees this: Wow, I never knew you'd release a sixth in the CB series! Not that either of you would read FanFiction. Oh well, you never know.)

Wow, that was the longest disclaimer I've ever written. Here's hoping I never do that again. By the way, am I supposed to write a disclaimer for every chapter, or just every few? Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong.

_A trembling silhouette was cowering under a taller figure. It whimpered, as the larger of them spoke, in a cold, icy voice-_

"_Once you make a promise, there's no turning back, as I am sure you are aware."_

"_Y-yes, of course. I knew.. I knew that. Y-yes."_

"_You seem unready. Am I correct? That would mean I would have to replace you. Would you like that?"_

"_N-no, please let me st-stay. I'll do anything, just don't send me back to them!"_

"_Anything?"_

The week rolled by, and it was a clear Saturday afternoon. A strong breeze caught the branches of the pine tree outside her window. Mischa had grown to dislike that tree, as it always blocked her view outside her window, at every angle, though at this moment, the right weather and wind hade it look beautiful. It was almost like a painting. The girl had even thought she had seen an artwork of a similar subject, back home. She smiled to herself, as the organiser on her phone buzzed. Mischa picked it up. It read: **Best date to find dress. (Dance in 3 weeks)** .

She fumbled around for her wallet, which contained 5 pounds, and the fifty pence that her headmaster had generously donated.

Mischa approached her older cousin. Since she was a bit short on cash, she decided the best idea would be to ask to borrow a dress of Laura's.

"Umm, Laura?"

Her cousin reluctantly put down her mobile. "Well, what is it?"

"There's a school dance coming up,-" Mischa was cut off.

"Oh, how nice for you."

"I was wondering if I could borrow a dress, since I'm a bit short on cash."

"A dress? One of my dresses? You must be joking."

"Ummm, no.."

"Forget it. Look, if it'll keep you out of my stuff, here's 50 quid, give me the change and pay me back, or I'll start charging interest. Starting at 5 pounds a week!"

"Thankyou so much! I'll pay you back, I promise."

"That's what you say now, wait a week or so.."

Laura was really an okay person, deep down. Just not so nice about being nice, that's all.

Mischa took the bus to Frog lane, not only the home of the Pet's Café, but also a neighbour to Lillen Street, where many shops were situated. She walked into the first one she saw, called _Elle Apparel. _It was smallish, but had a beautiful dress in the window. It was strapless, floor-length, pastel turquoise, with ruffles toward the bottom. Mischa WANTED that dress. The hand holding her wallet began to tingle, as she stepped inside.

"Mischa!" A girl with bright red hair jumped form a rack nearby, making dresses drop from their hangers.

"Hi, Liv! Nice entrance," commented Mischa.

"Girls, please take _some _care in the clothing displays.." droned the shop assistant.

Mischa rolled her eyes, before turning around to apologise, to see her other kooky-haired friend.

"Oh, it's you! Well then, why should I apologise to you?" laughed Mischa.

Artemis rolled her eyes. "I have to tidy all those displays, you know. But because it's you guys, I'll make an exception-"

"I knew she'd come around."

"- As I was saying, since you're my friends, you'll have to help me."

The two others moaned.

"Artemis, I never knew you worked here," said Olivia.

"Now you do. Don't change the subject, you know how bad I am when it comes to side-tracking!"

"Well, we may as well try on these dresses before we hang them back up," said Mischa, "I was here looking for something to wear to the dance."

"I'm here just browsing, but also what you said, now you mention it."

"Which leaves yours truly, working for 5 pounds an hour. But since the manager's not coming back today, a little shopping wouldn't hurt," said Artemis with a wink.

Olivia picked up a dress, and held it up against her, and grimaced.

"Other than it clashing with my hair, the design's horrible. Who made this dress, I wonder? It needs to come way out just above the hem, this is just ridiculous.." Olivia continued damning the dress under her breath.

"Hey, give that here!" Mischa took the dress from Olivia, and inspected it.

It was a shade between red and dark crimson, with faint black threads woven through the material. It had lace on the bottom hem, and fitted snugly to the upper chest, without straps. "Well, I think it's kind of cute. How does it look on me?"

"Umm.. I'll say this as politely as I can… Red's not your colour. ," informed Artemis, to a protesting Mischa. "Don't worry, I'll find you a better one, I promise. Although, it may look okay on me." Artemis checked the price with a smile. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll try this one on." She skipped off to the change rooms, her messy green bun bouncing after her.

In the meantime, Mischa gravitated to the heavenly dress she saw before, in the shop window. In front of the sun, it seemed to glow. Olivia followed, also in awe.

"Well, that's a dress and a half," she remarked, "Imagine if one of us wore that."

"Naturally, if it was me, I'd have the night of my life."

"Naturally, if it was you, I'd have to knock you out, switch dresses, and hide you in a cupboard. And still have the night of my life."

"And vice versa."

"I believe we have a deal."

"Ah, you have stumbled upon the shop window of Erised, my friends, that shows the one dress you truly desire… but can't have," said Artemis, now back from the change room.

"But it's so beautiful.. I believe I've found my dress," said Mischa quietly.

"Darling, it's the price-tag that bites. 500 pounds ain't cheap. Why do you think it's still in the window, not in someone's wardrobe?"

"You have a point.." said Olivia.

"ANYWAY, do you still think this dress is ridiculous, Livvie?" asked their green-haired friend, swishing around in the dress.

"Hmmm.. Yes, but only because I'm your friend and I'm allowed to be jealous. Arty, it looks gorgeous on you. Please buy it!"

"Okay, if you _insist…_"

Mischa flicked through racks, throwing the occasional comment around, as did Olivia.

They occasionally picked one up, tried it on, swapped, and then put them back. This was a continuous process.

"Liv, you taking anyone to this dance?"

"Actually, I asked Fido. Fidelio, you know, brown hair, violin.."

"Ooohh.. Do I sense a hint of romance?" pried Artemis.

"Nah, he's just a mate.."

"Sure. It can be our little secret, Liv, nobody needs to know."

"Yeah, including you!"

Mischa laughed at her friends, then spotted a black dress at the other end of the shop. She walked toward it, and so did Olivia. She quickened her pace. So did Liv. They were getting closer, and Olivia took a dive. She landed on the floor, with the dress in her grasp. She stood, brushed herself off, and trotted off to the change room.

"Damn, I wanted that dress. These stupid shoes, I can't run at all in them," complained Mischa, pointing to her beige clogs.

"First in, best dressed!" called Olivia's voice from the change room.

"I won't break my promise, friend of mine.. We'll find you a dress, eventually," said Artemis.

After another twenty minutes of fossicking, chatting, and fossicking some more, Artemis picked up a long, brown dress.

"Brown is a nice colour."

"Where did that come from?" asked Mischa.

"This dress is brown. You hair will go with brown. You suit brown."

"Actually, I hate brown."

"No, you can't hate it! It's beautiful! Just try it on!"

"Oh, so you're talking about the dress now?"

"Have you been listening?"

Mischa considered. "Well, I tuned out at the first mention of brown."

After lots of convincing, and protesting on Mischa's half, she found herself shoved in a change-room with the dress. She stared at it long and hard, and noticed the intricate beading around the hem of the layered chiffon. Maybe this wasn't such a bad dress after all.

Mischa stepped into the main shop area, and showed her friends her dress.

"See? It's not that bad, is it? Now, if you buy it, I will love you forever," said Artemis.

"All because you picked it?"

"All because I picked it."

"That is one nice dress you have there. See, aren't you lucky I beat you to the black one? Now we all have a dress."

The shop's phone rang.

"Good afternoon, Elle Apparel, Paddington Branch… Oh, yes, Amanda. Of course. We've actually had quite a few sales, now you mention it… Now? Yes… No… Okay, Amanda. Bye." Artemis hung up.

"That was Amanda, a girl I work with. She's coming in now, to switch shifts with me, which means I'll have to go soon."

"Yeah, now you mention it, my aunt is probably fretting by now, since I don't think Laura would pass on the message. I'd better disappear."

"Okay, bye Misch!" The two girls waved, as Mischa made her way to the bus stop, having one long last gaze at the beautiful dress in the window.

Okay, thought Mischa. Next task- getting a date.


	7. Will You?

_Will you?_

All throughout the week, Mischa had been wondering just how to go about the situation. She had put it off for days, but now it had become unavoidable.

She had to finish this essay.

But what to write about? The notorious essay on the Globe Theatre and how it affected the Shakespearean plays of the time had a minimum length of 750 words, and Mischa was just short of 500. She needed to concentrate. But how?She'd written through the night, and into the early hours of the morning, but somehow she was getting nowhere. She was sitting in the Library, scribbling furiously.

Artemis and Olivia were both experienced in writing essays and were quite good at them. They finished theirs at least a week ago.

"Misch, I still can't believe you're still working at that. I need you!" exclaimed Artemis. Mischa put down her pen and paper, and looked up at her friend.

"You know how I am at essays. Besides, what do you need me for so desperately that it can't wait until after class finishes?" Artemis rolled her eyes.

"You're so thick, sometimes. The dance! In a few days... we need dates!"Crap. She hadn't thought of that. "Oh, right. Um, just give me a couple of minutes to finish this up." Mischa sat back down, and wrote a few lines more. Artemis bent over to read over her shoulder.

"_And that's why Shakespeare's plays changed the Globe theatre and the English Culture_? Is that even in relation to the essay topic? Besides, you can't write like that in an essay! It doesn't even make sense!"

In response, Mischa just shrugged.

"Oh, it's not that bad, isn't it?"

Artemis nodded. "Sorry, it is that bad."

"Who cares? I would've gotten a bad mark for it anyway."

"No, give it to me." Mischa handed the essay to her, and she crossed out the horrible ending. She thought for a while, and then wrote about half a page.

"There. At least that makes sense."

"Thanks. But it's a half a page!"

"You said you were short. But never mind. Young lady, you're coming with me. Now, where do you think Sander would be before breakfast?"

"I dunno Artemis, perhaps he might be at _breakfast_ like normal people."

"Perhaps."

**  
Mischa's morning**

Tancred was reading a book, while finishing his toast. A gentle breeze blew though his light, messy hair. His eyes saw Mischa and twinkled. The rest of his face followed.

"Hi Mischa!"

"Hey, Tancred..." Why did her lips have to freeze now? Why?

"Um, what's that you're reading?"

"A book. On hurricanes. Really, quite interesting."

Mischa rolled her eyes.

"Okay, enough with Mr. look-at-me-I'm-smart-I-read-books-in-my-spare-time, you should probably be in the drama department. Don't think you can impress me just because you have a book in your

hand."

Tancred was baffled. "What?"

"Never mind," said Mischa. Maybe he really does read books in his spare time.

"Do you need something?"

_Yeah, I do. I kno__w t__here's a spark between us, Tancred. I think if we work at it, the small spark could turn into a steady flame. So I'm asking you to accompany me at the Bloor's Dance. Mischa thought. Yeah, that's what I could say. A little rehearsed, but the moment's just right. It'll be so romantic. Here goes._

Mischa opened her mouth, but instead of those words, all that came out was a loud belch.

Mischa PoV:  
Crapcrapcrapcrapcrap. Crapness. That was NOT what I was about to say. Now he thinks I'm a pig. Of all things to come out! What happened to the spark? What the hell happened to the spark?!

Okay, let's try again.

End of PoV.

"Misch! Was that what you were about to say? What a ripper!" Tancred laughed, as Mischa's hand flew to her mouth.

"No, that wasn't what I was about to say. God, where did that come from? Anyway, I wanted to ask if you-"

"Of course!"

"You haven't even heard what I'm about to say!"

"I'll still say yes, I do want to take you to the dance. Whatever else would you ask me that would get you that nervous?

And the fact that you were asking _me_ gave it away."

"You've got such an ego, Tancred Torsson. I don't believe you."

"I believe me." Mischa smiled and rolled her eyes, then walked over to her first class.

**Artemis's morning**

Sometimes, life flings an overly crummy day in your face and laughs at you for the sake of it.

For Artemis, today was one of those days.

There is one thing one must know in order to understand the inner workings of the mind of Artemis, friend of Mischa. Her life revolves around Lysander Sage and her being right. Artemis simply MUST be right. Of course, she is generally wrong. But today, she was particularly wrong. Add a certain disappointment involving Lysander Sage, and the stage is set for a meltdown.

It was just before breakfast, when Artemis was in the library helping Mischa with her essay. In the king's room, Inez tugged playfully at Lysander's sleeve with her endowment.

"Lysaander…" She batted her pretty, long eyelashes as Lysander turned to face her. She was wearing a strategically picked low-cut top and miniskirt, for better results.

"Oh, er, hey Inez." Lysander smiled briefly then went back to what he was doing.

"Do you think this top's too tight?" There, that should do the trick.

"Oh," Lysander's eyes flickered to the top, where he stuttered, "No, I think it fits you fine."

"Good," she purred. "There was also something I'd like to ask you."

"S-sure, anything," stuttered a bewildered Lysander.

Inez's red lips curled into a sly smile.

Olivia's eyes narrowed and her mouth curved into a frown, as she slipped away from the king's room un-noticed.

It was French class, and the three girls were passing notes.

_**Hey Mischa**_

_**I have bad news. Bad for Arty, anyway. I was in the kings room when Inez asked Lysander to the dance!**_

_Crap, what did he say?!_

_**Yes, of course!**_

Artemis scrawled a note and shoved it toward Mischa's direction:

**Hi Misch**

**You haven't seen Sander anywhere, have you?**

She worriedly wrote a reply-

_No I haven't seen him.. Heehaw, so much for asking him before class._

(After Class)

"Hey Arty!" Olivia bounced over, dragging a terrified looking Mischa in tow.

"Don't, Livvy! No! She'll find out anyway… Eurgh! Let go!" Mischa struggled against Olivia's iron grip. Artemis tilted her head to the side, peering at her redhead friend in concern.

"Hey, Mish, done any good burps lately?" Artemis joked, earning a glare from a rather annoyed Mischa.\

"Arts! Honey! We've got tragic news!" Olivia was halfway between hyper and sympathetic. This attitude put Artemis on edge.

"Uhhh…?"

"Lysander," Artemis twitched, "and Inez are going to the dance together! Horrible!" Olivia finished with a hand flung dramatically over her heart, but once the little bit was over, actually did feel rather sorry for her friend.

At first, the green haired girl didn't respond, her eyes full of shock and disappointment.

And then…

"AIERGH!" Artemis emitted a screechlike sound of fury, and proceeded to stomp, scream, and as a grand finale, fling her cape to the ground and stomp on it.

"Art, Art, calm down. It's no big deal," Olivia smiled, patting the livid green girl on the shoulder reassuringly, "really, who needs him? I mean, besides Inez."

Artemis' eyes narrowed.

Mischa was trying hard not to hit Olivia, as she had known that Artemis would take the news badly, and Olivia had not been very tactful. She herself was quite surprised, even if Lysander wasn't as obsessed with Artemis as she him, he did like her, and Artemis'… Artemis-ness… didn't give him a lot of choice.

"Artemis," Mischa tried desperately, "you'll find someone else to like. There are other guys that will take you to the dance."

"Liv, who are you kidding?" Artemis' words were greeted with silence, "I mean, you have Tancred, and Livvy has a drama troupe, I don't really have much besides Sander. I'm shallow, Mish, stuff like hoping Lysander will suddenly turn around and ask me out keeps me going… And now even that won't happen." Artemis grimaced, and lumbered away pathetically.

Mischa annoyedly turned to Liv, as she shook her head, and at the same time, they said…

"She's going to do something stupid."

That something stupid that everyone expected to happen didn't occur in the manner or time frame that was expected.

Artemis sat up in her tiny academy bed, everyone else was asleep, and it was rather late. She was brooding. She knew this was not wise, she did stupid things when she obsessed over stuff. But she was so _angry_. On a page in her diary, she had scrawled in huge, aggressive writing 'DIE INEZ' and 'I HATE LYSANDER SAGE' followed by 'love, Artemis' in tiny print at the bottom.

And then Artemis was sure of one thing.

She was going to destroy Lysander Sage. Now. Tonight. The boy's dorms were only a flight of stairs away, and it was safe to say that due to her previous perverted excursions, she knew exactly which room Lysander resided in.

She was going to show Lysander _exactly_ how she felt about him.

And as Artemis crept down the halls, she felt no remorse for what she was doing, just exhilaration. She rushed up the flight of stairs that separated the two dorms, and crept down the hall. She passed the seniors rooms silently, and drew to a halt at the room that held her ex-obsession.

Flinging the door open and letting it slam against the wall, Artemis marched into the room. Several boys bolted upright in their beds, including Lysander, but not Tancred, who was like a rock.

"Who's there?"

Someone flicked on the lights.

"Who's _she_?"

"I know _her_, she's that weird girl who's obsessed with Sander!"

"Artemis?" Lysander asked, sounding a little intimidated, and shirtless. Usually, Artemis would have felt like she had died and went to heaven at such a perverted opportunity, but not tonight.

"_Yes_." Artemis hissed.

"Er, are you okay?" he asked naïvely.

"Oh I'm _fine_. Just _peachy_."

"Well… er…"

"INEZ!?!?!?!?!?! INEZ BRANKO?!?!?! ARE YOU SICK!??! DERANGED?!" Artemis screeched. Anyone who was still asleep was awake now.

"Oh, hi Artemis." Tancred waved cheerfully.

"You, er, heard about that?" Lysander asked nervously, getting up and slowly approaching Artemis as though she had a knife.

"Oh _yes_. I did."

"Art, come on, I'd be rude if I said no." Lysander begged.

"You could have told her you were going with me!"

"But you didn't ask!"

"You should have asked!!! Plus, you know I would have said yes!" Artemis yelled.

"Inez asked!"

"Oh, I know she did!!!"

"You're clearly upset; can you _please_ go back to bed? We can talk about this tomorrow." Lysander reasoned.

"Oh, but I'm nearly done." Artemis' tone abruptly became sickeningly sweet.

"Well… er… go on." Lysander said awkwardly.

Artemis smiled, and with a loud 'THWACK' slapped Lysander across the face.

"IDIOT!!!" She yelled.

_**NOW** she could sleep._


	8. Are we ready?

_  
__"You do know tonight's the night. I'm counting on you to pull this off, though I have many a reason not to trust you," said a cold voice, the body it belonging to sitting back in a rocking chair. The smaller figure was almost cocky, standing tall.  
__"Yes, I know exactly how to go about the situation. You can leave it to me."  
_

_  
_The time had gone so fast, tonight was the night. The night of the Bloor's Academy Fundraising Ball. Well they'd called it initially a 'dance' to perhaps show a non-existent 'friendly touch' to the renowned private academy everyone referred to as 'that school'.

In Mischa's opinion, it sounded more like a ball than a dance. Laid back dances like Mischa had at her former school and a posh school like Bloor's do not go together perfectly.  
In the dormitory, many girls were sitting on each other's beds, doing each other's makeup. Olivia, Emma, Artemis and Mischa were among them. Artemis was doing Mischa's eye makeup, while Olivia was taking Emma's hair out of curlers. Not many people were still in fluffy dressing gowns, though there was only around half an hour until they were required to be in the drama hall. (It had a lot of space, with a stage for the band, so it was the best venue)

"Misch, if you put mascara on like I'm doing every day, Tancred would actually ask you out," Artemis said teasingly. Mischa just rolled her eyes.  
"Hey, keep your eyes in their sockets, you're bumping the brush!" Artemis sighed, "No wonder you never put makeup on, you don't have the patience."  
This was partly true. She put down her mug of coffee and held relatively still for her friend, until she was finished. Then they swapped places, and Mischa got to work on Artemis.  
"Natural or distinctive?"  
"Umm, somewhere in the middle. Red lips, but light eyeshadow and a little mascara." Mischa also noticed that Artemis had put contacts in instead of glasses.  
"Blush?"  
"If you must."  
Mischa surprised herself. She sucked at putting makeup on herself, but on other people, she wasn't bad. She was right, Artemis's pale face did look better with a touch of rouge, and the lipstick matched the dress perfectly.  
"Hand me that mirror," said Artemis. She looked at her face, and looked impressed.  
"Misch, you didn't do a bad job!"  
"Lysander will regret ever disregarding you when you look like that." She was right. Her face looked more defined and beautiful with a little TLC.  
"Don't exaggerate. I don't want him to think I'm desperate.. but as for you, you look like a princess!" Mischa didn't need any cosmetic blush, she supplied more than enough herself. She wanted it subtle and classic, and that it was. Not as dramatic as Olivia's, neither's was out of place.

Olivia looked up at the clock and gasped. "Girls, we have five minutes!"  
Crap. Mischa clambered into her brown layered gown, and slipped on her shoes. She removed the curlers from the bottom of her hair, and gave it a quick brush. She slipped on her heels, and helped Artemis into her long, red dress with black lace, and Artemis took her hair out of the towel, brushed it and tossed it about. Wait a minute..  
"Artemis!!"  
"Um, what is it?"  
"You have.. hair!"  
"Well spotted. Now can you zip me up at the back?"  
"Lots of hair!" Artemis rolled her eyes. It was at least mid-waist length, but Mischa had never noticed since it was always up and out of the way.  
"You so should wear your hair like this more often."  
"Whatever."

Lysander straightened his collar, and stepped into the foyer with his friend Tancred. The drumming had faded to almost nothing, and there was no gust of wind from Tancred. Everything was calm.  
"Where are they? Typical girls, always late," complained Tancred. Lysander just nodded.  
"Tanc, if you don't mind, I think I'll go out to find Inez."  
Tancred cringed as soon as he was out of sight. He still couldn't figure out how he was persuaded to go with her. She was so empty. Sexy, beautiful, but empty.  
Lysander stepped into the next room, and there they were. Idith was looking stunning in a dark purple gown, whispering in Dagbert Endless' ear, while on Joshua Tilpin's arm, adorned in emerald green was Inez, his date.  
Lysander was dumbstruck. Inez! Wasn't she going with him? Or did she decide to blow him off for the better offer? This had never happened to him before. He'd always been relatively popular. He couldn't even think straight.  
Meanwhile, the beautiful dark-haired doll glided over to the stunned young man and caressed his cheek while whispering in his ear: "Later." She then went on to kiss his mouth abruptly, flicked her hair, and disappeared down the corridor with her new date.

Back in the girl's dorm, Mischa, Artemis and Olivia were ready for the big night. Well, almost.  
"Em, hurry up!" Emma was still in her dressing gown, sitting on her bed.  
"Don't wait up, I'll meet you down there…" she replied. Olivia was slightly surprised at the cold element in her voice, but joined her other friends quickly.  
"Misch, do I look okay?"  
"Yes Liv, you look fine. What about me?"  
"Beautiful," supplied Artemis, "but I'm a bit nervous. I mean, what am I supposed to say to Inez?"  
"Make Lysander as guilty as hell," said Liv, with a devilish grin.  
"How?" Artemis was panicking.  
"Misch, let's do a bit of drama."  
"Okay. I'll be Inez."  
"Erm.. what are you two going to do?" asked Artemis cautiously, as they stepped into the corridor.

"This is what you're going to do. Put yourself in Lysander's shoes for a minute. Pretend Misch is Inez, and I'm you. THIS is what you do."  
Mischa strutted down the hall flicking her hair back and doing a terrible, yet funny impersonation of Inez, while Olivia was sitting in a nearby chair.  
"So like Artemis, like, are you like enjoying like such a like fantabulous time at the dance? Coz like I know you're boyfriend is sure like enjoying himself with a bit of my help!" She then giggled in a pitch so high her voice almost cracked.  
"Well, you can tell him I'm having a perfectly good time without him. You know, he was going to ask me to this dance before you harassed him, so I'm glad the jerk ran into you. Oh, and Joshua thinks your dress makes you look like a prostitute, and is talking to your twin over there. Like, laters!"  
Mischa strutted off in a huff, then they both took a bow.  
"Pretending you were Lysander, how crap did that make you feel?"

"Uh.. no offence, but you two are complete psychos."  
"But it made you laugh," tried Olivia, "You should definitely still upset Inez and make Sander feel like crap."  
"Umm, many flaws in that case. First, it just looks like a coverup, and second, it lowers me down to her level. You know, the whole "like, your nails are the wrong shade" thing."  
"Hmm. You're right. Just play it cool then. But try to make him jealous anyway. I can lend you Tancred for a dance or two," said Mischa.  
"Yeah, I'm sure Fido wouldn't mind either," added Liv.  
"Aw, thanks. But somehow, I think I know exactly who to find.."

"Now, are we ready for this thing?"

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
